Kids in the Kitchen!

Pumpkin Cakes with Bacon and Eggs!

2012-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

We've fallen victim to the cold bug a few times this month, but I was able to make everyone feel a little better about being cooped up in the house by making the boys requested breakfast item....Pumpkin Pancakes!

Pumpkin Cakes serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tb sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, separated
2 tb butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

We started by lining a baking sheet with foil and putting a rack on top. I like Trader Joe's applewood smoked bacon. I also like to bake it on a rack...it comes out less greasy and crispy. I start this first because it takes the longest. We add the bacon to the rack and put it on broil for about 20 minutes.

Next we separate the eggs. I put the yolks in one bowl to add to the wet ingredients and the whites into my Kitchen Aid to do the hard work.

Next, we measure out the dry ingredients into a small bowl.

I start whipping the eggs with the whisk attachment while I make the batter.

Taj works on his can opening skills. We LOVE pumpkin, so we add a little more than the recipe asks for...

Once we have mixed the wet and dry ingredients, we add them to the now stiff egg whites and mix them gently together.

We check on our bacon...not ready yet, but the house smells delish!

We like to make ours into mini cakes. The batter may seem a little thin, but that's fine. It will bubble up nicely on a lightly greased griddle pan. I cook them over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

I love to use my 2 tablespoon for pouring everything from pancakes to cupcakes for consistency.

Make sure to lower the heat if they are burning but not cooking enough in the middle or you will have one of these baby cakes on your hands...

Once the bacon is cooked to your preference and some scrambled eggs are done, you've got yourself quite a breakfast! We don't use syrup in our house, but the boys love to dip their cakes in some agave.

Arepas Thompson Style!

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

This week we almost didnt have time to do our weekly recipe!

Two weeks in and its already been difficult to find the time to research, get or make sure we have the ingredients, agree on and get it together. The boys were back at school Monday after being on winter break for 2 weeks. It was rough going...for us all.

Somehow between melt down after melt down, scrapes and cuts, homework, school, judo and work we managed to agree on a recipe that we could all enjoy!

Arepas are a South American staple. Most countries have something similar such as papusas, tamales or even buscuits but the main ingredients are the same. We hope you enjoy this quick and easy recipe with your monsters as much as we did!

Arepas serves 3

Ingredients:
1 1/3 c Masa Harina or cornmeal
1 c warm water
1 tsp oil
cheese of your choice ( we used white cheddar)

We used our handy dandy kitchen aid to mix the ingredients.

And some left over tamale mix that we had on hand from Christmas. We dont want that to go to waste...

Taj measures out the masa mix.

And slowely adds the warm water and oil.

It should look like this at first.

You want it to be a stiff, but not hard consistency when done. It shouldnt stick to your hands, and you should be able to manage it easily. If its too sticky add more masa. If its too hard, add more water.

Taj cuts the cheese...haha. He sliced it into rectangle wedges but use whatever shape works for you, as long as its not too thick.

Next, put about 1/4 c of dough into your hand and roll into a ball. We use an ice cream scoop size.

Next, flatten the ball and add the cheese. Then completely cover with dough and make into a patty.

Grill on a skiddle or pan over medium heat. Depending on your pan you may want to spray some nonstick beforehand. Or you can use some spray to give it a crispier tecture on the outside. You may see some cheese start to ooze out after a few minutes. Cook for 5-10 minutes depending on how thick you've made them, until masa is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Finally...enjoy!

Bacon Chicken Tenders & Oatmeal Honey Smoothie

2012-01-06T18:57:00.001-08:00

Well the boys were bustin at the seams and ready to start kookin today! We decided on two recipes that included a number of our favorite ingredients including BACON! Of course, these recipes came in second to cupcakes, pies and candy recipes...we'll save those for another time.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders serves 4

Ingredients:
1 package of skinless chicken breasts
1 package of thinly sliced bacon
2 tb honey
2 tb jelly or jam of your choice
1 tb grainy mustard

Always remember to keep your kids hands and surfaces clean when working with meat by washing hands and items with soap and water. Also remember to be careful with kids working near ovens when hot.

A lot of my cooking and recipes come from flying off the seat of my pants, rummaging through cupboards and being creative. I like to try new things, I love fusing flavors and introducing my kids to things I hope they will also love.

First, take your chicken breasts and slice them into tender pieces (about 1 inch thick). Teo was a little grossed out by the chickens "squishyness", so Taj took control of the bawker meat.
Next, wrap each tender with a piece of bacon. I only used half a slice of bacon per tender. I also suggest using thin sliced bacon for this recipe because it wraps much better, but we only had thick sliced and as you can see, it works just as good. Teo surprised me with his bacon wrapping skills.

We lined a baking dish with foil to make clean up easier and used a rack so that the tenders would'nt be sitting in bacon grease as they bake, but you can bake them however works best for you.

Next mix the jelly (we used guava jelly; the only kind we ever have on hand), the honey and mustard together.

Brush each bacon wrapped tender on top with the mixture enough to coat it for flavor. The boys can be finicky at times, and when Teo saw the grainy mustard he said "ewww I am NOT eating that!" I knew this was a lie. Put into the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until just brown. You do not want to over cook them and have dry chicken. And that would be a big no no. No need to preheat the oven.

Once the bacon has started to brown, remove from oven and turn each tender over using tongs. Beware of the hot baking dish and bacon grease!

Brush tops again with the remaining mixture and return to the oven for final bake.

Remove after another 10-15 minutes or until brown. Let cool, then enjoy your simple, savory and kid approved dish! Even Teo forgot all about the grainy mustard in the sauce until I reminded him and he still agreed, they were delicious!
Oatmeal Honey Smoothie serves 4

Ingedients:
3 cups rice milk
3 cups ice
2 packages of instant oatmeal
2 tb honey
2 tb amazing meal
1 tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon sticks for garnish

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Teo loves the smell of amazing meal (weirdo). You can find it at your local natural grocer or whole foods or forgo it altogether. Just something I grabbed from the pantry and added at the last minute.

Garnish and enjoy!

Welcome to our Adventure!

2011-12-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

There are have been so many inspirational websites this year. I was very impressed and inspired by dress a day, a blog with a woman who created a new dress everyday for a whole year on only $365 from thrift shops.

I thought wouldn't it be awesome to do something similar with my kids? Something that we could look back on and remember all the fun we had, maybe laugh at the not so fun parts and always have record of? Well that's where Kids Kookin came from. Just a few ideas made into reality.

With a click of a mouse and a few keystrokes a blog was created! I'm not making any promises but our goal is to create, try and eat some really healthy and delish recipes together. I'm hoping that for a whole year at the very least we will be able to do a weekly post with pictures and possibly video. How else will I be able to capture the ever changing personality of my two rambunctious boys while we embark on this amazing journey?!

Starting in January stay tuned for our weekly updates!

Ciao!
Yvonne aka Vonni Mommi